Chapter 148

The members of the Sanctuary, having been released from the Crystallization, began to prepare themselves to face the General, albeit late. Taewoon also did his best from his own position, exchanging information with them.

After about two weeks had passed, the Tristan finally appeared, and new exploration team members began to arrive on the island one after another.

‘…Is it finally time for the decisive battle?’

They might not act immediately, but whether by will or by force, the situation on the island was about to change in earnest.

Taewoon watched the members boarding the island with an indifferent gaze, and finally, he spotted the familiar face of a certain woman.

‘Good. Now all three are gathered.’

That evening, Taewoon informed everyone at the Sanctuary through Jain that the new exploration team had arrived on the island.

Since the appointed time had come, it was now time for Taewoon to cast off the constraints of risk and pursue more active movements.

Naturally, the thing that concerned him most was the existence of the second Seed.

‘If it’s not in the research building and not underground, then where on earth are they continuing the research on the second Seed?’

Taewoon could now say he had the entire structure of the island mapped out in his head, yet that one point remained a complete mystery.

‘I’ve already checked the cliffs to the west and the isolation facilities to the east, but…’

Still, he couldn’t find any trace of the second Seed. This meant it was highly likely being strictly managed by a very small number of people.

‘The most certain link is the General, but realistically, it’s difficult to tail her. Is there anyone else involved?’

After pondering deeply for a while, Taewoon realized that if a research facility was being managed that strictly, the personnel guarding it wouldn’t be just anyone.

If so, wouldn’t it be highly likely that Guardians—and specifically, the elite among them—had been deployed?

It might be better to dig into that side of things rather than wasting time on random people.

‘Come to think of it, there were those Special-Class Guardians I encountered while tracking Padrik.’

He had run into one of them on the island, but unlike the ordinary Guardians, their duties seemed different, as he didn’t encounter them very often.

Perhaps tracking them would lead to the answer.

‘…Alright. Regardless, now is the time to move.’

Since he had already half-revealed his intentions to the General, doing something a bit more suspicious wouldn’t change much.

Taewoon immediately kept a close eye on the Guardians’ movements, waiting for his target to come into view. While he didn’t find the three he had met before, he discovered another Special-Class Guardian called Darren.

‘Let’s try following him.’

As a Special-Class Guardian, Darren’s Qi Sense was likely even more acute than that of the Empire’s elites.

Accordingly, Taewoon exercised extreme caution, maintaining a wide distance as he moved, and spent an entire day tracking Darren to observe his movements.

‘Nothing special for now…’

There was nothing noteworthy on the first day, but on the second day, Darren finally left the camp grounds and began heading toward the outskirts of the island.

Following him cautiously, Taewoon couldn’t help but look puzzled at the place Darren arrived at.

‘The beach? It seems to be a bit far from the pier… what on earth does he intend to do here?’

The scene that followed was enough to surprise Taewoon.

As Darren made a gesture as if sending a signal and stepped forward, the surface of the water in front of him split wide open, creating a path leading deep into the ocean.

‘What is this? Then, could it be…’

There was a reason why he hadn’t been able to find any traces or information no matter how hard he searched.

The facility where the second Seed was being researched was hidden none other than beneath the sea near the island.

‘…It was a blind spot.’

Because he had focused too much on the boundary of the ‘island,’ he had unconsciously erased other possibilities from his mind.

Considering the abilities of the Imperial Guardians, it was entirely possible, but who would think someone would conduct secret research under the sea?

However, that was the answer, and Taewoon had finally caught the tail.

‘Following him right now… would be dangerous.’

The interior was likely an extremely closed space, and it would certainly be difficult to explore without revealing his identity.

Taewoon didn’t know a way to reach the undersea research facility without following them, but if he used the power of Apostle Transformation, it might be possible.

Ultimately, Taewoon suppressed the urge to follow immediately and stepped back, deciding to wait quietly for the sun to set.

‘…Is it about time?’

When night fell, Taewoon quietly left the camp grounds and began his operation.

He remembered the exact location of the beach Darren had headed to. Moving quickly to the vicinity, Taewoon confirmed there was no one around, put on the Red Wax Mask, and began to concentrate.

At first, he tried circulating his internal Magical Power and projecting it onto the sea surface in the form of a thin net, but it didn’t work well, perhaps because the properties of water differed from those of the ground.

‘…I need to increase my concentration and first understand the nature of the ocean.’

Drawing out the power of Apostle Transformation even further, Taewoon instinctively began to search for the optimal form to utilize his power, and the outlines of the scenery beneath the surface began to take shape, albeit blurrily.

Gradually infiltrating his Magical Power, Taewoon finally succeeded in fully detecting the research facility built on the seabed and the waves of power surrounding it.

‘This is…’

It was unclear whether it was to protect the facility from the seawater or to guard against intruders, but it felt as though touching it rashly would be like poking a hornet’s nest before even getting inside.

‘But…’

Taewoon already knew through experience. If he utilized the power of Apostle Transformation at a high level, he could move inside without being detected by such detection abilities at all.

And.

As Taewoon drew upon the power of The Red Man and reached out, he felt a sensation of grasping something, and numerous threads of light began to be captured by his senses.

‘Right, here…’

Moving his steps slowly, Taewoon had already transitioned into the interior of the research facility, where silence reigned in all directions.

There was no one in the corridor, but from beyond, he could occasionally hear the voices of people or the sound of something operating.

Taewoon immediately used the power of Apostle Transformation to completely erase his Presence, cautiously exploring the interior of the facility as if he weren’t even there.

‘Few people. It must be operated with only the minimum necessary personnel.’

However, that meant that many of the most capable individuals from the island would have been deployed here.

That thought was certainly correct; Taewoon detected a familiar Presence from afar and had to concentrate even harder to hide his body.

‘Is that… the Sealing Arts Master who was one of the Special-Class Guardians?’

Although he hadn’t been able to stop Taewoon’s progress back then, he remembered that the man’s skill was certainly impressive.

Even for the current Taewoon, who had grown further, a moment of carelessness could lead to his identity being revealed.

As the young Sealing Arts Master approached the corridor, Taewoon drew upon the power of The Red Man even more, and soon, Taewoon’s figure shifted to the opposite corridor without any omen.

‘It seems he didn’t notice.’

If someone as powerful as that Guardian didn’t notice, it seemed there was no need for excessive worry.

Taewoon meticulously grasped the structure of the facility, wandering everywhere without being caught by anyone using the power of The Red Man, and finally managed to approach the laboratory where the research on the second Seed was being conducted.

‘Is that… the Seed that will become the finished product?’

Taewoon hadn’t seen the failed first Seed with his own eyes, but he was aware of its appearance from what Yerin’s group had told him.

Unlike the first Seed, the second Seed was the size of an adult man’s upper body and had a black form with a slight purple tint.

Like the first, it took a jewel-like shape, but it had a unique appearance that could be seen as the seed of an Otherworldly Plant.

It was clear, even just by looking at it, that this was a completely different object from the first attempt.

‘At that size… it would be nearly impossible to steal it without anyone noticing…’

Furthermore, since it was a core object in the General’s plan, they were likely using every means possible to prevent theft.

Even using the power of Apostle Transformation, it was right to assume that smuggling it out secretly would be impossible.

‘Slowly… the energy surrounding my body is fading.’

Although he had maintained it as long as possible, the time limit of the Apostle Transformation was reaching its end.

Satisfied with the information he had confirmed so far, Taewoon concentrated and drew upon the power of The Red Man.

Once again, numerous threads of light were captured by Taewoon’s senses, and grasping one of them firmly, Taewoon returned to the beach outside the facility.

‘Was it a success?’

He had confirmed the location of the second Seed and hadn’t been spotted by anyone in the process, so he could say his primary objective was achieved.

Of course, obtaining it would not be easy, but it was certainly positive that the preparations for the decisive battle were being completed one by one.

‘…….’

The tide was turning.

Convinced of this fact intuitively, Taewoon disappeared into the forest beyond the beach, moving his steps quietly.

Sharing this information with his comrades at the Sanctuary and the camp and preparing for the day of the final battle was what he had to do now.

The time on the island, which had been frozen for so long, finally began to move.